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Leopard Takes Down a Crocodile - Africa Point Blog

I got this by email and thought of sharing it with you :-) The astonishing spectacle of a leopard savaging a crocodile has been captured for the first time on camera. All pictures by Hal Brindley/SOLO Syndication A series of incredible pictures

Leopard Takes Down a Crocodile

The astonishing spectacle of a leopard savaging a crocodile has been captured for the first time on camera.

All pictures by Hal Brindley/SOLO Syndication A series of incredible pictures taken at a South African game reserve document the first known time that a leopard has taken on and defeated one of the fearsome reptiles.

The photographs were taken by Hal Brindley, an American wildlife photographer, who was supposed to be taking pictures of hippos from his car in the Kruger National Park

The giant cat raced out of cover provided by scrub and bushes to surprise the crocodile, which was swimming nearby. A terrible and bloody struggle ensued. Eventually, onlookers were amazed to see the leopard drag the crocodile from the water as the reptile fought back.

With the crocodile snapping its powerful jaws furiously, the two animals somersaulted and grappled. Despite the crocodile's huge weight and strength, the leopard had the upper hand catching its prey by the throat. Eventually the big cat was able to sit on top of the reptile and suffocate it.

In the past, there have been reports of crocodiles killing leopards, but this is believed to be the first time that the reverse scenario has been observed.

Mr Brindley said: 'I asked many rangers in South Africa if they had ever heard of anything like this and they all said no.

It just doesn't make sense. The meat you get out of a crocodile is just not worth the risk it takes a predator to acquire. The whole scene happened in the course of about 5 minutes. Then the leopard was gone. I drove away, elated in disbelief. It may have been the most amazing thing I've ever seen.'

Ellie Rose, a reptile keeper at London Zoo, said: 'Normally, crocodiles are well able to defend themselves against attack. I can't think of any examples of this happening before.'

UPDATE: I did some further research and found the website of the guy who took these shots. He's called the Hal Brindley and and go to this page on his site to see how it all started.

the thought that the leopard was desperate for food to attack a croc is ridiculous. Carnivores are almost entirely opportunity hunters and will eat anything that presents itself. The leopard probably does not associate a croc on land as a threat because they are seldom (if ever) attacked by one or have one move in on its kill.

Guys.............do a little 'internets research' and you'll find out this simple fact...........CATS HATE REPTILES. Bobcats often kill snakes without even eating them afterwards. And about the habitats thing, you're right....if the leopard was in deep water, he'd be dead. But you see, cats are smart. He dragged him deep into his own turf. Full point for the cat!!!

Rune Parsson, lmfao you say that this is 'shopped from a photo of a domestic cat and a rat.. have you ever seen a rat and a domestic cat that were nearly the same size fighting each other like that? ridiculous.

these pictures are awesome.. thanks for posting. anyone who thinks this is incredible should definitely check out 'Battle at Kruger' on youtube.com. now THAT video is amazing.

This is obviously photoshopped. It is a domestic cat and a rat that has been modified. The shadows and the texture is all wrong. If you look at the second picture you can see the rats ears, and crocodiles don't have ears.

And Steve, what evidence do you have that this animal was unusually hungry due to something humans did?

Stop pretending you are better than the rest of the human race by pretending you are smarter than everybody. Yes we have done thoughtless things but we are becoming aware and are getting better. You are part of it and you can help.

For the skeptical 'shoppers' take a look at another incident involving cats vs crocs that happened in the same game park, but caught on film.. it does happen from time to time, or maybe they're all just actors :-)

Having been raised in a remote part of the Western U.S., I have known since I was a kid that competing predators often kill each other. Why would a leopard in Africa be any different? It may have seen a crocodile take an animal that the leopard itself was stalking. This would imprint on the leopard that crocodiles are competition and explain its aggressive behavior toward the croc in the photo.

I cant believe you would really think this is photoshopped, like that's such a normal pose you can find a bloody crocodile in anywhere on the internet. And yes, ditto on why the hell would you photoshop the spots? are you implying this was another cat besides a leopard in which case it would be just as cool, no need to change the fur pigmentation.

um seriously anyone here and guy who took the shots..Jaguars eat Alligators all the time. Its documented. Well documented. So just because a cousin of the Jaguar eats something not normal on his diet does not make it anything truely astounding. seriously do some research dammit!

The pictures are fake. In the first picture, the tail of the Crocodile is missing. In the second picture, the rear legs and the tail are missing. In the rest of the pictures, somehow the tail and the rear legs are back. Even if the pictures are in reverse, the leopard is going to tear open the stomach instead of eating the hard tail. Its amazing what can be done with photoshop.

Haha I love all of the people saying this is photoshopped. It obviously isnt, and if it was, why would someone fake the spots on the leopard....keep wasting your life trying to point out photoshop jobs on the internet. Does that really make you feel that important? Get over yourselves....

The reason i have to believe this is true is just take a look at the series of camera shots..you can see the leopard has its bite on the left side of the neck of the crocodile throughout all the pictures....

This is a prime example of how desperate animals are getting to find food.It must of been a very hungry cat in order for this attack to happen in the first place. We have so badly screwed this planet up there may be no turning back untill God intervines in world affairs